Casting agent seeks as many as 800 extras for Mass. film

Monday

Mar 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 24, 2008 at 1:53 PM

Are you an attractive yuppie? Do you own fine formal attire? Could you pass for a male exotic dancer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might have a shot at being an extra in an upcoming film starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway.

A.J. Bauer

Casting call: Local agent looking for a few good extras

Are you an attractive yuppie? Do you own fine formal attire? Could you pass for a male exotic dancer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Jodi Purdy-Quinlan wants to hear from you.

The Weymouth-based casting agent is seeking extras for a romantic comedy called “Bride Wars.” But her open casting call – which will be held this coming Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Maria Weston Chapman Middle School in Weymouth – is about more than finding locals to share the screen with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway.

Purdy-Quinlan has been casting extras in the Boston area on a freelance basis for years. Now, due in large part to film-friendly tax incentives that first took effect in 2006, she is a casting associate (and essentially the entire Boston office) for New York-based agency Grant Wilfley Casting Inc.

Purdy-Quinlan’s new position reflects the movie industry’s increased interest in the Massachusetts scene, she said. That increased interest calls for a deeper talent pool.

Right now, Purdy-Quinlan said she has a database of about 10,000 extras in the Boston area, but that’s not enough.

“We’re really looking for new talent, people who’ve never done extra work before,” she said. “We want them to be introduced to the industry and become part of the talent pool that will be tapped for future films.”

More immediately, Purdy-Quinlan said she is looking to fill 300 non-union roles and 500 union roles for “Bride Wars,” for which she said she needs “the beautiful people” to try out.

“This is not a blue-collar, working class movie,” she said. “This is a movie about high society men and women with a business professional look.”

That doesn’t mean only rich people should apply, Purdy-Quinlan said. It does mean you should wear your finest formalwear or at least bring pictures of you in it to the casting call.